[Chapter Twenty-Five: The Game Plan]
[ The Normandy/ 6AM/ Miranda's Quarters ]
As the soft music of string instruments filled the ears of the sleeping pair, a loud, digital voice overrode the peaceful music to herald in the new day, "Good morning, it is 6AM! Today is Monday December 2nd, 2183. The current temperature in your cabin is set to 18.33 °Cel—"
Miranda's eyes snapped open as her hand slammed down onto the loud alarm clock. She had only closed her eyes three hours ago, but the operative had adapted to running on such little slumber. London, however, needed the rest and alarm clock be damned Miranda would let her have it. The operative grinned at herself, unaccustomed to caring if another individual was able to sleep or not.
"…Relationship," Miranda said silently, "That's certainly not something I thought I'd ever really be in,"she thought, a small smile spreading across her lips as she relaxed back into the warmth of her bed sheets.
Lawson rolled the 'r' word silently across her tongue a few more times in wonder before beginning to think of the conversation they had from last night,"I know that I had asked her to take it slowly…but I don't think she even touched me in our sleep. Actually…was she anywhere near me?"she questioned, her eyes squinted in thought.
Miranda wasn't one to be self absorbed. In fact, she considered herself to be imperfect in many, many ways. But she also knew that along with her highly sought capabilities, there was the simple fact that physically she was perfect. Normally if Miranda had taken a lucky individual into her bed, and if they were allowed to stay in her bed afterwards, they couldn't wait to touch her…but last night? Miranda couldn't remember even feeling anyone next to her.
The operative had taken up the left side of the bed and, like usual, slept on her side facing a far wall of her room. Quickly she rolled onto her back and turned her head to notice an already awake London propping herself up on one elbow and looking at the wide space between their two bodies with the seemingly same expression and question on her face. Somehow in the middle of the night both women separated to their own individual sides and faced outwards and away from each other.
London offered the XO a small, embarrassed shrug, "Sorry. I guess it's just habit to sleep on the very edge of the bed when you're used to a little sister hogging the entire mattress. I usually get about this much space to myself," she said, illustrating her words by displaying an inch between the palms of her face to face hands.
Miranda grinned, "And here I was beginning to believe that you found my sleeping form… unattractive?"
"Impossible," the sniper replied, her left eyebrow rising up in amusement as her own smile formed across her lips. "But you know…I could presume the same for you. What's your excuse, hmm?"
The operative tilted her head, "As to why I'm way over here and you're way over there?"
London's smile widened, her eyes bright with mischief as she slowly inched her way forward towards the dark haired woman, "Mhmm…"
Cerulean eyes observed the brunette's actions before giving the honest answer, "I've simply gotten used to sleeping alone. I always take up the left side of my bed and pretty much just huddle to myself. You're the first company I've had in a while. I'm not used to it—to this."
London continued to carefully move over towards the other woman until her face was just inches above the XO's. Lips remained sealed and silent as gray and blue eyes danced and examined each other.
"Don't worry," came the quiet response to the unasked question, "This won't become a habit. I'll be sleeping in my own quarters tonight."
Miranda reached up and cupped the other woman's face in silence. She had to admit that London continued to impressed her to no end; this brunette must be rare indeed—to find someone who could answer the question you couldn't bring yourself to ask—someone who spared you the mixture of emotions that came with wanting a little space every other night. Sensitivity was not her strong point, and she was glad that this small mercy was granted on her. It would have most likely come out harsh and disconnected to what she truly felt but always seemed unable to express.
London leaned into the woman's caress, "We're taking it slowly, I know. Something like this is new to both of us and I think what we're doing is a good thing. Little by little and step by step," she managed to say with a smile.
Lawson could only nod as her voice came out in a hush, "But I'm so happy to have you here now."
"Well I'm glad to be here…and good morning," the sniper whispered, leaning down to finally press her velvety lips against the matching softness of Miranda's.
Miranda felt her body tense for the briefest of moments before allowing herself to relax into the new, increasingly familiar scent and feel of London. The operative couldn't help but smile into the gesture of affection before replying, "… good morning to you too. How are your eyes? I still need to apply the third set of drops."
The sniper observed Lawson's fine facial features and gave a lopsided grin, "I don't think the drops are needed. My eyes are great. I don't even feel the sting anymore."
"Safety first," the operative retorted firmly, flipping London over so the sniper was laying on her back. Smoothly Miranda reached over to take hold of the small bottle on her nightstand before retaking her position beside the other woman's body. "Ready?" she asked, the grin never leaving her mouth.
London laughed softly, her arms resting above her head and flat on the mattress, "I guess I don't have much of a choice when you're in charge, so, command me, Executive Officer—your wish is my desire."
Miranda leaned over just a bit, her eyes staring intensely into London's, "…I'll be reminding you that you've said that quit often. Now keep those eyelids wide open."
The sniper rolled her eyes then did as 'asked'. "Yes ma'am."
The operative was tender in her administering of the medicated drops, being sure to add the correct quantity so that only a miniscule amount of liquid spilled over the rim of London's eyes and down her cheeks. "There we have it," Miranda said softly, slender fingers gently removing the excess fluid from the sniper's exquisite cheek bones.
Keeping her eyes shut so the medicine could absorb London smirked, "Thank you very much for everything you've done. I know I've probably said it one hundred times over, but…I appreciate it."
Miranda looked upon the woman beneath her and leaned down to place a trail of kisses from the sniper's eyes down to her lips, "I know you do…and you're very welcome. Now," she continued, swiftly patting London on the thigh then proceeding to stand up from her bed, "get up. We have a lot of work that needs to get done today and I have a meeting with Shepard up in the Comms room soon. I need to get ready."
London exhaled then nodded firmly, "As do I. But first…would you mind if I used your terminal to get a hold of Teagan? I haven't been able to speak with her as of late…you know why."
"Of course I don't mind but…what happened to the one I bought for you if I might ask?"
The brunette bit her lower lip lightly, "I had a rather dramatic moment out in the rain and I'm afraid it got a little wet in my pack." When Miranda didn't say anything London quickly continued, "I'll have it repaired though, I promise! I'm sure if I were to take it to Tali, Gabby, or..." the next name made her eye slightly twitch, "…Kenneth, that it'll be up and running in no time."
After a small moment of silence and observing the sniper's reaction, Miranda finally offered a tiny smile, "You know I could probably fix it myself …or better yet, I could just have it replaced."
London sighed lightly at the operative, "Your time is valuable and I will not have you wasting it on my mistakes. Plus, you've said it yourself that you've got a lot of work to do today. I don't want to add to that."
"If you insist," Miranda said neutrally as she moved to sit at her terminal and open a secure line for London, "A secure link has been established for use. You'll only have access to Teagan's I.P. All other access links have been blocked, encrypted, and secured. I will be notified immediately if any other link or folder other than the one I have specified is trying to be entered." There was a small pause after she finished the sentence. Miranda wrinkled her brow at her overly professional mannerisms towards the sniper and tried her best to explain in a more sensitive manner, "…I hope you understand why. It's not that I'm untrusting of you, and I don't mean to be absurdly secretive about anything it's just—"
"—your job. I understand," London said kindly, placing a hand on Miranda's shoulder in reassurance. "I only need it to speak with Teagan and I'll be as quick as possible."
Miranda tilted her head and looked up into London's gray eyes, "Thank you…but please don't rush yourself. I need to take a shower, feel free to remain here and speak with Teagan for as long as you'd like."
London took a step back and allowed the operative to pass, "It probably won't be a long chat. She has class soon and I don't want to make her late. So if I'm not here when you come back out I'll probably be in my own shower."
"Right," Miranda nodded, "Oh, and before I forget, I told Teagan that the reason you hadn't been able to speak with her for a while is because you were sick with the common flu. I told her I was keeping you bed rested. So…if she asks you how you're feeling now—you'll know why."
London chuckled, "Keeping me in bed? You? Why not down in the medical bay?"
"Because," came the cool reply, "I promised Teagan that I would be the one to take care of you whilst you were ill."
The sniper's eyebrows furrowed, "She should know that I am more than capable of—"
"—handling yourself. Yes, I'm sure she does. You're welcome by the way."
London sighed softly with a small smile, "… thank you."
"Anytime," Lawson winked as she grabbed two towels and entered her bathroom.
After a few moments of fixing her appearance in the monitor's reflection, London requested permission to begin a video chat with her little sister. It was a minute before anything happened, but soon the black screen burst into color with a small, long-haired, brunette in its focus. "LONDON!" came forth the sudden, booming voice from the terminal's speakers. It was loud enough to make the older brunette jerk back in her seat and clear enough to know that the beaming child was ecstatic.
Upon seeing her little sister's smile London had to blink several times to keep her tears at bay. She hadn't been able to visit the small biotic since they had parted, and it was rougher than she had imagined living a life without her little sister. "Hey, Tee! I'm so sorry I haven't been able to speak with you as much as I usually do…"
"It's okaaaaaay. Ms. Laws—," the child paused, clearing her throat lightly and trying to use the name the operative had asked her to use, "…M-Miranda told me that you were feeling very sick? Are you all better now?"
London smiled, "I am, sweetie. Miranda did exactly as you asked of her and got me back to tip-top shape. How are you? How are you classes?"
Teagan grew quiet and lowered her head, "They're going well."
The sniper eyed her little sister quietly and observed the child's new demeanor, "…Teagan, what's the matter?"
"I-It's nothin'…"
London leaned into the monitor, "Teagan Mae O'Conner," she warned, "I've known and taken care of you your entire life. I think I would know when something is bothering you. Is it one of your classes? Are you struggling in the course?"
"Nono," the child replied quickly, her hands waving frantically at the screen, "This stuff's easy!"
"Then what is it?"
Teagan crossed her arms and hugged herself as she leaned a little further back into her seat, "…it's just…"
London's expression changed to a more sympathetic one, "Tee, you know you can tell me anything…"
"Well," came the tiny voice, "…t-there's this girl in my class named Jaina Weiz that makes fun of my ear. I think she's just jealous that I have a prettier backpack than her but…she's just terrible, London! She says such mean things…and she does it in front of everyone! I've never done nothin' to her…she just… hates me." Teagan shrugged half heartedly and slumped into her seat as she thought about the girl and the mean words that were spoken.
London knew it would be silly to reach out and touch the monitor, so instead she scooted her chair a little farther into the desk in concern, "…what does she say that makes you so upset, Sweetie? Do you wanna' talk about it?"
The tiny biotic frowned as she looked down at her feet, "She says I got a little pyjak ear so that means that I must be related to them. Then she said 'I bet your mama looks like one too!'…so I told her that mama is beautiful! But…then she asked what mama looks like and…I couldn't answer." Teagan's lower lip began to tremble, but she clenched her jaw and it instantly stopped. "I couldn't answer because I don't remember what mama looks like…so instead I told her that I looked like you, and that you are beautiful and that you are what I'm gonna look like when I'm older! But she didn't believe me and just said that 'your sister is probably a pyjak too; A big, ugly, smelly pyjak'."The small brunette sighed, "that really made me mad but…it's okay…I know it's not true or nothin'. Plus, Jimmy is always telling her to shut up so it's not that bad when he's around."
London somehow managed to keep herself from accessing Miranda's files and looking up every Jaina in Teagan's class, and instead crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow, "Jimmy? Who is Jimmy?"
Teagan shrugged and fiddled with her small fingers, "He's in my class too. He's always super nice to me and even eats lunch with me sometimes in the cafeteria."
London inhaled sharply then exhaled, "So is this Jimmy a really close friend of yours then?"
The little biotic finally looked back into the monitor, "I guess so. We do sit next to each other in all our classes, and sometimes we walk together to class. It's not just us though. There's Megan, Za'ole, and Odie. We're all together when we can be…but they take certain classes at different times so mostly it's just Jimmy and I throughout the—MIRANDA!"
London jumped at the sudden burst once more then turned her head to look over her own shoulder momentarily. Miranda was freshly showered and dressed in her black work attire.
The Australian smiled then leaned over London to look into the monitor, "Hello Teagan–what's all this I hear about a boy named Jimmy?"
London could smell the delicate scent of the operative's shampoo and grinned in her direction, "Apparently he's been a good friend to Teagan."
Lawson squinted, "That counts for something I suppose, but…what did you say his last name was again?"
Teagan blinked blankly, "I-I don't think I said his last name…"
Both older women shrugged innocently and replied in unison, "Oh we're just curious about it."
"Oh…um…okay then, I think his last name is—" The sound of a little alarm ringing caught the little biotics attention, "—that's my alarm! I have to start getting ready for class!"
London cleared her throat to keep the disappointment of not hearing Jimmy's last name out of her own voice, "Oh, right. Okay then…have a good day at school, Tee, and don't you pay any attention to that Jaina brat. She doesn't know anything about us, okay?"
Teagan nodded quickly, "I promise. OH! I know this might be quick, but tomorrow class is only up until 1PM so I have the rest of the day off! Do…do you think you wanna come see me? Or maybe I could go spend time with you and Ms. Miranda!"
The sniper could feel her stomach knot up at her inability to promise the child anything given the Normandy's ongoing mission, "Of course I want to visit you, Tee…but—"
"Let's check the calendar shall we?" interrupted the operative as she smoothly worked a few keystrokes to bring up Teagan's syllabus, "…Hmm. Look at that, Teagan. You might have that afternoon off but, according to the calendar, you'll be getting all of next Monday off due to a teacher conference. What if instead of tomorrow, we make arrangements fooor…this coming Saturday? How does that sound? We could make it a three day event."
Teagan's eyes widened, "The whole weekend PLUS Monday? I get to spend the whole weekend with you?"
Miranda shrugged casually, "Well that sounds mighty good to me. I don't know, what do you think, London?"
The sniper had been staring at the raven haired woman in admiration, silently thanking her for removing the brunette from that delicate situation. "…that sounds wonderful."
Teagan squealed as she practically jumped out of her chair to grab a bag to pack, "I'll start packing now!"
London turned back to the monitor, "Um…Tee? It's only Monday, you just said it yourself, silly! You still have a whole week to go and you kind of have class soon…"
The biotic froze, "Oh. Right! I'll wait till… after classes today then! I'll see you soon!"
"You should…wai—Teagan? Hello? Teagan?" Before London could speak again the little brunette had already cut the link out of pure excitement, the last image of her being one of tossing clothes in every direction and leaving London quiet with a blank expression and with Miranda smiling.
London swiveled her chair around to face the operative, "…are you sure we'll be able to visit her? I don't want to get her hopes up—especially since we're in the middle of this whole mercenary business. What if we can't make it by Saturday? It would crush her, Miranda."
"Shepard is going to gather all the information from Shaw's omni-tool today. There was a constant link between both him and June. With the help of our engineering team we should be able to gather enough information to make our next move very, very soon. We already know his location, as of now we're just trying to figure out the means of execution."
"So there's a good chance we could be done with this whole ordeal by the end of the week?"
Miranda shook her head, "The whole ordeal no, most likely not. But more than likely we'll have already dealt with the mercenaries and hopefully in the process find out who, as Shepard puts it, 'our big man playing is'."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I'm not saying its concrete, but I generally have a good feel about these sorts of things. I have come to learn that Shepard tends to get things done very quickly when all the necessary tools have been handed to him. This mission won't be any different. Like I said, we have June's location—we just need to figure out how to get close to him. I trust Shepard will do just that. Now come on, you need to get showered and dressed. The meeting starts soon."
London stood up from her chair and stretched quickly before giving Miranda a grin. The operative returned her look with a raised brow, "What? What is it?"
The brunette shrugged as she walked off towards the exit with a light snigger, "Oh nothing. You're just a little bit sexy when you bark out orders. It's the accent I think."
Miranda stood there quietly and thought, a small line forming between her eyes as she frowned. When the doors had shut behind the dancer Lawson folded her arms and leaned towards the door, "Only just a little bit? Hello? Hel—ugh," she puffed out in playful aggravation, "…little bit my arse."
xxxxxx
[Communication's Room/ 6:30AM]
Shepard withheld a chuckle as he observed the widely yawning Garrus slouch in his seat, the perfect example of a dark, gloomy, and grumpy individual who really hated waking up with little more than maybe one or two hours worth of rest.
"Not a morning person, Garrus?"
Two mandibles twitched in an irked response towards Commander Shepard, "What are you talking about? I'm radiating sunshine and rainbows out of my ass."
John put Cavan's omni-tool down onto the table as he sat down into a seat and grinned, "You're starting to sound like Jack when she doesn't want to wake up. Still tired?"
Garrus raised all three fingers from one hand plus one extra from the other. "Four."
Shepard raised his eyebrow, "I'm so happy you can count."
The Turian released a grumble, "I require a minimum of four hours sleep to be that nice guy you love so much. Anything below that and this is what you get stuck with for the day."
John leaned back into his seat smiling at the disgruntled Turian, "Pleasant or not, I really don't like you either way, Garrus."
"You're just pissed that I get all the ladies."
Shepard shook his head and replied as the soft hiss of the comms door announced a new arrival, "Take the ladies, I got all the woman I need."
Garrus stood upright in his seat, his eyes widening in feigned shock, "Wait. Jack is a girl?"
The harsh smack of a tattooed hand hit the Turian square on the back of his head, "I'm more woman that you'll ever get and more man than you'll ever be. So screw you, cricket."
Garrus winced, "Ouch."
John folded his arms behind his head and rested it contently, "Which stung more—the hit to the head or the words to the ears?"
The Turian nodded in defeat, "I'd say that they were about equal."
The ex-convict took a seat a few chairs away from both of the males and threw her legs up to rest on top of the table, her body slouching deeply and lazily into her seat, "So we gonna crack that omni-tool open or what? Where the hell is everyone else? Buckethead? Lamppost? Kraken? Cheerleader? Stripper? Crouching Raman hidden flash bang? You know…the gang?"
The commander looked at her in awe, "Crouching Ra… hidden…flash—what?"
Garrus yawned and shrugged as if Jack were speaking in perfect sense, "Kasumi."
Shepard blinked at the pair, confused by Jack's talent to create nicknames and Garrus' ability to understand who the hell she was talking about, "…everyone that is needed will be here soon. We got here earlier than usual."
Both Jack and Garrus mumbled at the exact same time, "In other words I coulda' slept more…"
"Good morning, everyone!" Came the sudden chipper voice of engineering's very own Scotsman. "Specific seating assignments? No? I'll just sit here then," he continued, taking a seat across the table from the Turian. "Christ, Garrus. Ye look like someone just peed in your breakfast paste." When there was no response, he suddenly took on a very serious look and eyeballed everyone around the table, "…no one peed in the nutrient paste right? I can't imagine what poor Tali would—"
Jack clenched her jaw in annoyance at the accented ramblings, "Oh for fuck's sake no one peed in the damn nutrient paste, Donnelly! What the fuck are you even talking about?"
Kenneth gave his best smile towards the short tempered, bald woman, "and good mornin' to ye too, Jack!"
He quieted, however, when Jack eerily smiled back. Something in that smile told him that the convict was imagining wrapping the Scotsman in a tight biotic bubble and slamming him headfirst into the very table he was leaning on.
The creepy staring contest continued until the soft hiss of an opening door was heard once more, "Oh Keelah! Am I late? I stayed up about two hours later than normal figuring out a decryption key that would match the algorithms used to encrypt the data on the omni-tool. It didn't help that I had a small headache and nasal congestion, but I won't get into that. I was rather surprised to find that cryptographic algorithms were used, I had to give credit to the mercenary whom it belonged to," she giggled, "I mean it wasn't so difficult to crack. Don't get me wrong, on the bit scale it was a decent encryption—not 4048 bit or more kind of scale, but more along the lines of about 1024…which is good for someone not as well educated in the field of omni-technology and encryption/decryption, coding/decoding."
The entire room except Kenneth was completely confused. Tali sighed, "512 bits being a poor encryption, 768 being moderately secured, and 1024 being—you know what nevermind. I gave him credit because he tried."
Shepard cleared his throat, "Right—great work Tali! So you figured it all out? We'll be able to crack the omni-tool open and see what Riley had in the works?"
The Quarian nodded as she took a seat beside Kenneth, "Yes, Shepard. Once we insert the key into the tool, complete access should be unlocked: Messages, events, holographs, music…whatever data he saved should be there when you access it."
"Great, once the last bit of us trickle through the door we'll begin the break down of the content within this thing and take our next step from there."
Garrus eyed the now closed door to the communication's room with a raised brow, "Anyone else think it's a little weird that Lawson wasn't the first one down here?"
"Oh she's probably busy up in her office," said the sudden, smug, disembodied voice.
Shepard grinned in the direction of the words, "I should have figured you were already here. Where's Jacob?"
Kasumi chuckled as she now visibly took her seat at the upper right corner of the rectangular table, "He should be here any second, Commander."
Garrus then turned his attention towards the thief, "Hey…what did you mean when you said Lawson was probably busy up in her office? It's early and she knows we have a meeting."
Kasumi grinned mysteriously but then decided to shrug the question off, "Who knows? She is second in command after all. There must be a lot of 'work' constantly laid on top of her."
Kenneth blinked, "Laid on top of her?"
"Her desk," the thief gently corrected, "laid on top of her desk…spilling onto her bed and over her sheets…falling onto the floor. A ton of work. I'm sure it's something she's constantly working at, at this point."
Kenneth swallowed the lump in this throat as he pictured important, loose leafed papers flying all around Miranda's body in a somehow sexy manner, her hair blowing in the warm, gentle wind as she slowly began to unzip her—
"Engineer Donnelly, if you don't get that absolutely transparent and very disturbing look off your face this instant, I will be sure to take it off with my Locust." Miranda had stopped at the room's entrance, just being able to hear Kasumi's last statement and shoot her a piercing glance before addressing Kenneth's drooling face.
"Good morning, everyone." Jacob suddenly said, a lithe London soon following in behind him and offering the same salutation.
"London!" the Scotsman said excitedly, patting the seat cushion next to him. "I've saved your seat right here and right by me!"
The sniper sighed unenthusiastically as she took her 'saved' seat, "…thanks…I guess."
When the last of the crew had come in and taken their seats around the table Shepard began, "Alright everyone, I know it's early and we haven't had the chance at breakfast yet so we'll try to make this fast as possible. Tali was able to create a decryption key for Shaw C. Riley's omni-tool—go ahead and plug all that in, Tali. Now, while she works at this let's discuss some other facts. As you all know we already have the location of our second mark, June Sanders. He's older and more experienced in the field of killing, trading, stealing, hijacking, dealing—you get the point. What I'm trying to say is getting close to him won't be any walk in the planetarium. Our first concern is location. He's staying on Omega at a shady, very expensive place called the Velvet Vault—a kind of resort that houses those with little to no care for authority. It's recently been jam packed with the best of the worst kind of mercenaries…for what, we do not know. All we were able to gather is that it's a private party for a very select few. Let's get started."
"Okay," Garrus spoke up, "so let's try to rule out what that means in terms of execution. We can't exactly walk in with it being invitation only. I mean we could, but it'll get messy really, really quickly."
John nodded, "Exactly. So that threw out my initial idea. I was considering making yours and Grunt's ugly mug pose as paid mercenaries for hire. But without an invite that's a no go."
Jack shrugged, "So let's just rip it off someone who actually was invited."
"I had thought about that too," Shepard continued, "but the problem with that is we weren't able to gather the list of attendees. I don't know who or where an invitation might be."
Kasumi was next to speak, "I could be in and out of there in an hour or two depending on what it is exactly you're needing."
Shepard shook his head, "No, it's too dangerous to send you in alone. If anyone was going in by themselves it would be me. I need access to Sander's files and I need to get him to spit out everything we need to know."
Jacob nodded his head, "I agree. It wouldn't be very effective to send only one person in with so many other mercenaries slumming the place. Would there be any way we could get Sanders to leave the resort?"
Garrus shook his head, "Probably not. The place will be full of free booze, food, and a chance to work for a very high amount of credits. I don't think any one of those mercs will leave until the main guy hiring has chosen who he wants."
London looked over to Shepard, "You said you had a friend that recently made it big in the information business, right?"
John nodded, "Liara."
London thought quietly for a second, "So what if you have Liara find out June's OT address and have her send him a counter proposal via omni-tool? He might respond to an offer that's worth just as much but that deals with less hassle. Just have her send one asking to meet him outside of the resort in some other secluded location."
The commander scratched his chin, "that's not a bad idea…"
Garrus rubbed the back of his neck, "I agree, it's not a bad idea but there is a certain risk factor involved with going along with that."
John eyed the Turian, "Explain."
Garrus leaned in, "Judging from this guys profile he seems to be pretty smart. What are the odds that some other high roller would be willing to pay that much—if not more for something that takes half the sweat to do? It doesn't add up. And I'm pretty sure he'll figure that it won't add up. Now top that off with wanting to meet in private away from where all the current big business is being handled and his paranoia will go crazy just like Jack would being stuck in a room with Lawson and Kenneth all day.
"So in other words…batshit crazy," Jack corrected harshly, causing Miranda to roll her eyes.
London shook her head, "So the fact that it won't be conducted in the resort will alarm him?"
Garrus nodded, "Probably, yeah. Think about it: this is a big week for high paid mercenaries. All the business opportunities will be taking place at that specific resort. It won't just be this 'Buyer' sending his seconds to do the hiring; it'll be many other high bidding bosses. I mean why wouldn't they, right? The area will already be highly secured for the event, everyone and their mother knows what the hell is going down there but no cop will get anywhere near it. It's the perfect place to do business. So why would some rinky-dink high bidding guy suddenly want to meet outside of this resort to make a contract? It's simple. They wouldn't."
Shepard nodded his head as he thought quietly, "Valid point. I can't have him running off and going into hiding. We need to get this guy and we need to get him now. Failure is not an option."
Jack rolled her eyes, "At this point it seems like it's the only option. We've been here for half an hour and haven't come up with a damn thing, Shepard. I say we just make Judo Chop over there sneak into the building and have her throw him out a window or somethin' so we can collect his ass, fly the hell away, and question him."
Miranda groaned, "That's your bloody brilliant plan? Send in—"
Garrus stretched, "—Kasumi."
"—Right," Miranda continued, confused as to how Garrus knew who Jack was referring to. "Your plan is to send in Kasumi alone and somehow have her manage to throw him out of an extremely tall building?"
Jack shrugged, "Why the hell not? When he's alone in his room, she can knock his ass out, Shepard can pull up outside his room's window, toss him into the shuttle, tie him up and bam—we got our guy. Then it'll be time to beat and question him."
Miranda eyeballed the Commander as he silently thought, "Shepard you're not seriously considering this ridiculous plan are you?"
Jack scowled, "Well let's see what the hell you can come up with then, Cheerleader! It's not like you're being any kind of useful at the moment anyways. I would honestly like to know how you're even second in command. You never say nothin' worth a damn!"
Miranda waved the convict off in an indifferent manner, "Some of us like to think intelligently before we open our mouths to talk, Jack. Something you seem incapable of doing."
The ex-convict stood up quickly from her seat and leaned over the table, "You got somethin' you're tryin' to tell me, Ice Queen?"
Shepard raised his voice, "Enough you two. Take it easy. Tali, have you got anything yet?"
The Quarian nodded, her eyes bouncing back and forth between Jack and Miranda, "I-I do. He was very good about cleaning out recent received addresses, so the only message left on his omni-tool was from Sanders. Riley was in constant contact with one Mr. June Sanders, and it seems that these last few days were no exception. Even though there's been no reply recently from Riley, Sanders has continued to message his partner."
Shepard moved over towards Tali in interest, "Riley must have made a habit of delayed responses…lucky for us. Bring up the latest message."
Tali nodded and did as instructed, bringing up a holo image and recording. "This was recorded and sent yesterday morning."
[5:43AM]: 001: "The boss is expecting the PT with chip in hand and… the target… done and dealt with. Respond."
Shepard observed the holo carefully, "… and there's been no response to this message?"
Garrus chuckled, "The owner of this omni-tool is a little bit on the dead side, Shepard. I don't think he's answered just yet."
John grinned, "So then let's have Mr. Sanders know that everything has been taken care of. Send a reply message."
Tali brought up the message window, "What should it say?"
London brought her eyes down onto her clasped fingers. She had opened her mouth to speak but the words were unable to come out, her eyebrows undulating as she tried to gather her thoughts. She wanted to swallow the fear and be brave, but reliving her terrible ordeal was the last thing the brunette wanted to remember. Miranda noticed the dancer's change, how her eyes looked pained and saddened. The operative longed to help, to tell London that it was alright and that her time of blindness had passed and would not come back. Instinctively Miranda reached under the table and offered the sniper a quick squeeze of the hand, allowing the brunette to hold onto her firmly in support.
London swallowed the dryness of her throat, nodding softly and squeezing Lawson's hand a little tighter as she finally spoke aloud, "Try something along the lines of 'you know I like to play with my food before I eat it. It's done.' "
John nodded at London, trusting that out of everyone here she would know how Cavan would respond. "…well you heard the woman. Let's try that out and see what we get. He's been consistent in his checking up on Riley. I'm sure today will be just like all the others. He'll most likely reply within the next hour so everyone take an hour for breakfast while me and Tali continue to look around and inside this omni-tool. I'll have EDI call you all back once we've gotten a response."
xxxxxxx
[Breakfast]
The thief was quiet in entering the sniper's old quarters, "I see you're not eating with the others?"
London was curled up and sitting next to a window, her legs bent at the knee and resting up against her chest as her arms lay folded on top. She chewed the bit of apple she had rolling around her mouth then swallowed, a small smile soon coming forth afterwards, "How very perceptive of you, Ms. Goto."
"I know," Kasumi confessed with a good humored shrug, "it's a talent I pride myself in. So what are you doing down here all by your lonesome? Miranda didn't give you the boot already did she?"
The dancer took another bite of her apple and laughed lightly while chewing, "No, nothing like that. I'm giving her a little space. She has a lot of work that needs to get done and I think she works faster when I'm not around."
The grin Kasumi had on her face peeked out from underneath her hood, "I'll bet…"
London pointed and waggled her index finger from left to right as she laughed, "Once again—it's nothing like that. We just talk a lot when we're around each other. I don't want to distract her or make her feel obligated to me in any way while she clearly has other pressing matters to attend to."
"I don't think she feels that way at all. Obligation is such a harsh term. I think she's better when you're around."
"Better?" London questioned, her eyebrow only slightly rising up as she looked onto the thief, "What do you mean?"
Kasumi nodded, "You know! Better! She's always so stressed and on edge. I mean—she's very professional all the time, don't get me wrong about that, she's absolutely amazing at what she does…but the girl needs to learn to breathe! All work and no play is not good for a person. I think she needs someone like you."
London grinned as she changed her gaze to observe the stars beyond the small window, "To be focused and dedicated to your career isn't bad either, Kasumi. I'm sure she would have been fine without me."
The thief placed her feet together and leaned back against a close wall, her hands clasped and behind her own back, "Fine maybe just barely…but happy? Most definitely not."
There was silence for a moment before London turned to look back at her, "So I gather from the crew's complete clueless-ness that you haven't told anyone about Miranda and me?"
Kasumi chuckled, "I figured that our second in command has enough to deal with at the moment."
London eyed the smaller woman curiously before nodding her head in thanks, "…thank you, Kasumi. She's a private woman. I could care less who knew, but for now I think it's be best to work at her pace and comfort level."
Kasumi nodded in agreement, "Right."
"Right."
"Right!" Kasumi responded again, a little more enthusiastically than last time.
London eyed the smaller woman, "…um…right."
"Soooo…"
London eyes traced up to find Kasumi's grin had grown into a mischievous one. She was pretty sure that if she were to find a dictionary and look up the word 'mischief', that Kasumi with that grin would be a picture of what she saw. "…so?"
The thief pushed herself off the wall and hurriedly took her place beside London, soon taking her own seat and mimicking the sniper's position. "Sooooooooooo…"
London dropped her face into her folded arms and sighed, "Spit it out. What is it?"
Kasumi leaned forward, "So what's the sex like!"
"Kasumi!"
"What? It's an honest question! I'm curious! I mean with the way you two were starting it up…with the kissing and the hands and the groans…it has to be—"
London waved her hands frantically, refusing to answer the question that had caught her so off guard, "Ah-hahaanooo! We are not going into that. It's private! But, out of respect for Miranda I will have you know that she is not that kind of woman! It's…what we have came unexpectedly to both of us… so we're working on all of this slowly. This kind of relationship is new to her and… and to me, so there's no use in rushing into anything. Okay?"
Kasumi was tapping her fingers on her lap in boredom, "I expected more from you two; How positively blasé! And what do you mean new to you? I would have imagined that you've had all kind of experiences while you were a…I mean…not saying that you—in your professi…"
London smiled gently, "It's alright you can say it. I take no offense. I was an exotic escort and dancer. And yes I did have all kinds of experiences when I worked. I've had male clients, female clients, and even one Hanar client." When Kasumi's eyebrows lifted in surprise London couldn't help but laugh, "You can imagine how difficult that one must have been. He wasn't exactly easy to understand and on top of that he wanted me to dance for him in a specific style completely foreign to me. But that's not the point—I meant to say that while I have had experience…this…thisrelationship that I've formed with Miranda is something meaningful. I've never had anything remotely close to this before."
"No other past lovers? Boyfriends? Girlfriends?"
The sniper relaxed back into the wall, "I've never thought about other women before. Miranda has been the first I've ever been remotely attracted to. I did have one boyfriend when I was younger though. His name was Taylor Owens. He was a sweet boy; athletic, gorgeous, had a wealthy, lovely family, and a kind heart…the type of person you wanted to bring home to meet your parents. He did actually—meet my parents that is. They loved him, much to my relief and satisfaction."
Kasumi tilted her head, "What happened if he was so wonderful?"
London shrugged at the question, her tone matter of fact. "Life happened. I guess this is just how things go sometimes. Father brought home Teagan and… everything changed. I'd probably be married to Taylor right about now and be expecting our first child."
"Can you really imagine all that? With him?"
"Being married and having a family of my own? Of course I could…once upon a time—just not now. Times have changed and circumstances have changed. There's just no time to have thoughts like that. The universe is violent and I can barely keep one child safe and happy as it is. I couldn't even imagine being a mother to a newborn and a happy-go-lucky wife to someone right now."
"Where is this Taylor Owens now?"
London looked out the window, the core of her apple lying idly by her feet, "Out there somewhere, living a happy, adventurous life with someone he deserves. I loved him dearly, but I wasn't that person for him. I don't think I ever was. I actually just left without saying goodbye to anyone. For all he knows one day I just decided to call it quits and leave with my family."
Kasumi nodded, "You did what you had to do…there's nothing wrong with that."
"Oh I know," the sniper agreed, "and I don't regret anything. That road led me here and I couldn't be happier. He was a decent guy though…he at least deserved that final goodbye."
The pair remained silent for a few moments.
"Kasumi?"
"Yes?"
"…I just wanted to say that it's not often I get to speak with other women under such a relaxed state. Good company is hard to come by and you've been really decent to me while I've been aboard this ship—not to mention my little sister seems to love you. So I guess what I'm wanting to say is…thank you."
The thief lifted her face so that it could be completely seen from under her hood, "There's no need. I've profiled a lot of people and know a good person when I see one. I'm glad to have you onboard with us."
"Anyways," London said softly, trying to keep the moment from getting to mushy, "…how are you and Jacob?"
Kasumi's eyes suddenly lit up with joy, "Oh let me tell you! He does this thing where he puts me…"
London's eyes glazed over as she realized that just maybe she shouldn't have asked that question. The thief's voice chimed on for several more minutes before London got into the habit of just nodding and pretending to listen while she tried her hardest to tune out the finer details of Kasumi's overly detailed love life.
xxxxxxx
[Miranda's Office]
The lightly beeping sound of Miranda's office door signaled that someone was outside and waiting to come in. Lawson put her small cereal bowl down, pushed the tiny, black button on her desk, and opened her mouth to speak. "Come in" she said, fully expecting either Commander Shepard or London to stroll through the door.
"Operative Lawson, my favorite Executive Commander!"
Miranda swiveled her chair towards the voice, her brow raised and tone hardening into a more professional one. "What an unexpected visit, Engineer Donnelly. Is something wrong down on deck four or has Commander Shepard already called us back? "
The handsome, well toned Scotsman waved off the question, "Nah, nothing of the sort about either of those things! I'm not here about business ye see…"
A strand of raven hair was tucked neatly behind her ear as Miranda leaned back into her seat and crossed her legs tightly, "Then why, pray tell, are you here in my office? What can I do for you?"
Kenneth sat down in the seat in front of Miranda's desk as if they had always been childhood friends, "Okay here's the thing—you're a woman, right?"
Miranda blinked blankly, "…Engineer Donnelly is there—"
"—just hear me out here! I can't talk about these things with anyone else! Not even Gabby because no one seems to know her the way you do."
"Her?" Miranda questioned, "to whom are you referring to, Engineer Donnelly?"
Kenneth held his arms out with a shocked expression, "London of bloody course! I'm wondering how I should go about pleasuring her. What does she like?"
Miranda's eyes widened and her mouth turned down in disgust, "Pleasuring her—Engineer Donnelly you will leave my office immediately or I will—"
The engineer waved his hands so quickly it was almost as if he flailed. "No! Wait!" he begged, his face beet red, "That came out absolutely terrible! I didn't mean…pleasure her in that context. Rather, I should ask what pleases her. Does…she like anything in specific? I feel a vibe between us ye see. Grunt said he can see it too and that I should take action."
Miranda brought her elbows down onto her desk and sighed tiredly, "Grunt's views on 'vibes and taking action' are strictly related to mating in order to preserve the species. He's not exactly someone to go to for love advice, Mr. Donnelly. Now—"
He was quiet for a moment as Miranda spoke, but Kenneth soon weighed out the options then nodded his head, "—ye know, with Harbinger getting ready to strike at humanity again, I should take that responsibly upon myself and preserve all that we are as quickly as possible."
Lawson soon took up rubbing her temple in slow circles in annoyance at the perverted engineer, "Mr. Donnelly…if you try to 'preserve humanity' with any kind of woman aboard this vessel, in any kind of way, I will take action instantaneously. You may take this as your first and only warning."
Kenneth leaned back into his seat, a pout forming on his lips, "So ye won't help me out with London? I just want to know what sorts of things she likes. Flowers? Asari chocolates? A cleaning set for her sniper rifle? Ye have to give me something ta' work with. Please?"
Miranda eyed the man sternly, her accent seemingly coming out thicker than normal, "I will not. I will, however, state that this topic brought to me was extremely unprofessional of you. Matters of this sort should be kept to yourself. If you feel that the task is impossible and that you absolutely need to speak of the matter, I advise you to visit Chambers in her office next time. I am not a dating service, Engineer Donnelly. I am your second in command, and I am very busy at the moment. Now is there anything else of merit that I should be aware of?"
Donnelly slumped over then stood up on his feet, "I apologize, ma'am. I just thought—" He quieted suddenly, a new expression etched across his face. It was almost as if he had just experienced the most brilliant idea of his given life-time, "…ye know what! That's it! I'll get her all three! Thanks for at least hearing me out, but I think I got it. I'll report back to station now!"
Miranda watched as the engineer eagerly left her room. When the ghost was clear she exhaled deeply and flopped back into her chair, her hands making a ridged motion towards the door. "What the bloody hell was that!"
xxxxxxx
[ Communication's Room]
"You gunna' eat that?" Jack asked, her finger already inching towards Shepard's still full plate.
John shook his head as he looked over Tali's shoulder and onto the omni-tool's files, "Not right now, you go ahead and have it. How are things looking, Tali?"
The Quarian fiddled away at the omni-tool's tiny keyboard, "He was very thorough in the cleaning of his files, Shepard. I've only been able to recover that single message from it. Besides his music and a few movies, everything else pertaining to his line of business was deleted and their links and paths erased."
"Bring up the last message."
"Aye, aye, Commander." Tali did as instructed, retrieving the one, current message from June and placing it up on the holograph display so that Shepard may observe it. It was a simple message, a recording that June took of himself from the shoulders up and speaking into his omni-tool. "Would you like me to play it?"
Shepard nodded, "Yeah, go ahead."
[5:43AM]: 001: "The boss is expecting the PT with chip in hand and… the target… done and dealt with. Respond."
"Pause it," John said quickly before the image could go black. "…what do you guys think about the way he talks about the mark? Something's off."
Jack shrugged as she practically swallowed half a biscuit, "Who cares. We know what the guy looks like now. So let's just pack it up and go get him guns blazing, eh?"
Shepard shook his head, "Not happening, Jack. Tali?"
Tali tiled her as she played the message again, "Hesitant. He seems hesitant about speaking of the subject."
John nodded, "But why?"
"I don't know why, Shepard. Perhaps he didn't like speaking of business over omni-tool? What are you thinking?"
The commander eyed the still holo of June's face, "I don't know just yet. He doesn't hesitate with his words until he mentions the 'target'. I'm just wondering why."
Tali shook her head, "I wouldn't know what to tell you—wait…wait a minute."
John eyed her curiously, "What is it?"
"Shepard, we got a new message from June!"
John took a seat near Tali and leaned into the desk to view the holograph message, "Play it."
The message was brought up, an image of June filling the empty air and molding into a three dimensional holo:
[7:33AM]: 002: "It's about damn time you replied. You better be on your way back, kid. We got work to do. The boss is expecting the PT and chip by Thursday. There's no exception with the time frame this time. We either turn it in and get paid, or don't turn it in and get trouble. Some other small jobs are being offered around in the mean time. We'll take off late Wednesday morning, so that gives us all of tomorrow to get some extra creds in before we turn the stuff in and I retire for good.
And before you start crying that 'you haven't been able to have any real fun', I'd like to let you know that tomorrow night will be a damn good one at the Velvet Vault. Music, booze, food, and girls. Flex from Afterlife is bringing a ton of his ladies to the party, a few of which I've reserved for us. Should be a good ending to a long career—well for me anyways. It's just another typical night for you I'd assume.
Anyways, like I said, get here soon. I'm getting tired of waiting and just want to get this finished with. Over and Out.
Tali and Jack looked up at their commander when John suddenly snapped his fingers loudly and hit the table harshly, "That's it! EDI, get everyone in here now."
The ships AI replied hastily, "Right away, Commander Shepard."
The pair of women blinked in confusion as John continued to speak, "Tali, send a reply message saying that he'll have to wait a little longer and that our Mr. Riley won't be able to make it back till Wednesday due to his far off location."
Jack raised a brow, "How the hell is he going to be there by Wednesday? He's dead!"
John grinned at the ex-convict, "Don't worry about that. Sanders won't be seeing Riley on Wednesday because we're going to grab him tomorrow at this private party of his."
Jack slapped the table's top with a wicked smile, "Now we're talkin'! I'm in and let's do this!"
Tali's glowing eyes observed her commander's face, "How are we going to manage that, Shepard?"
xxxxxx
[5 minutes later]
"Fuck you, Shepard! No way I'm doin' it! No fuckin' way! Especially not with her!" Jack was outraged as she paced back and forth alongside the length of the long, rectangular table. "You gotta' be crazier than I am to think this shit will actually be pulled off."
Shepard shook his head, "Why not? It's the perfect plan. No one will expect it, and none of you have to go in alone. It has to work. We even got a person to help you all be a little more believable in your roll."
Garrus was grinning from ear to ear as he looked at all the women's faces, "I think it's a brilliant idea."
Kenneth nodded his head quickly, "I concur."
Jack pointed her finger accusingly, "You shut you face! You're not the one that will have to do this shit." The convict turned her eyes to look at London, "Back me up here!"
London could only shake her head gently from side to side as she thought, "Jack…I would but…it's really not a bad idea. We don't have many options."
The biotic groaned as she sank into a seat, "Oh for fuck's sake…"
John looked at the sniper, "So you don't mind then?"
London shook her head once more, "I don't see any other choice, Commander. It's a solid plan…well…mostly solid. The ending concerns me, but I trust in your judgment. June wouldn't expect it, we'd be able to get in close and get all that's needed from him."
All the while Miranda was huddled into her chair, shaking her head in complete disapproval, "Don't I get a say in this?"
John crossed his arms, "You get all the say in the world, Lawson. If you can come up with something just as solid that can be done just as easily then be my guest. But do it fast because we're running out of time."
There was silence in the room as everyone's eyes seemed to be locked onto the XO. After a minute Miranda could only sigh deeply and place her forehead against the cool surface of the table. "Miranda," London said softly, "it's a solid plan. I know you're uncomfortable with it—I don't blame you. But it'll work. We can do it."
The operative was quiet, listening to the dancer's gentle words of encouragement. Shepard was asking London to return to a life she had long since left behind. If London was willing to do it—she should be willing to do it too. "Oh bloody hell. Alright, alright. Fine! I'll do it. But this better work, Shepard."
Jack flung her arms up, "We're fuckin' doomed, Shepard. The Cheerleader won't be able to pull it off!"
Miranda scowled, "Well excuse me if in my two hundred thousand credit education I somewhere along the lines forgot to take classes on exotic dancing for wanted mercenaries, Jack!"
"See!" Jack exclaimed with a sternly pointed finger, "She's already bitching about it and we haven't even started yet! Why can't Judo Chop do it instead? You know that me and Cheerleader don't play nice," she said with gusto, emphasizing her words by waggling her finger back and forth between her own body and Miranda's. "We'll kill each other, Shepard—especially since you won't be there to stop us."
"Jack," Shepard said, sighing heavily as he repeated his plan, "you know we can't afford to have you two kill each other. Kasumi is our eyes and will be going in silent. She'll be plugging in her omni-tool and grabbing every bit of information she can from his bedroom while you guys are entertaining and finding out everything you can about his boss and him from other peers."
"Fine! What about buckethead?"
Tali shook her head quickly, "Oh no. If I had a credit for every Quarian who became exotic dancers and took off their suits to please strange men, I would have exactly…zero credits."
John stared at Jack in disbelief, "You know I can't ask Tali to do this job, Jack. She can't take off her suit in a place like that. It'd kill her."
Jake growled under her breathe, "This is a stupid fuckin' plan. I say we just knock him out and throw him out the window! Done!"
John grinned, "That's the not till the end."
Miranda grew wide eyed, "You can't be serious. We're actually doing that?"
Shepard nodded his head, "I don't see any other way to get him out of the building without alerting every merc in the joint. When you guys get him alone in his bedroom I'll have Kasumi stick him with a specially prepared syringe shot and he'll be out like a light in no time. Garrus and I will pull up in the shuttle near the room's balcony, you girls toss both him and yourselves in, and we're out of there in record time. Everyone will be so damn drunk they won't notice our little escape route and the package we're carrying."
Though completely against the idea but unable to come up with a counter plan, the operative took a moment to gather her wits before speaking, "Not the most… delicate thing you've ever come up with but… I'll do as you say, Commander. Now, I assume you've spoken to the manager of Afterlife and have told him that we'll be tagging along under his name?"
John shook his head, "Flex? All we gotta' do is pay him a little visit. I don't think he'll be in the position to say no."
London nodded, "Not after our last meeting. He won't have the guts to say no."
Shepard then looked over his crew and folded his arms, "So we're all in agreement and in understanding of what's going to happen?"
"Yeah," Jack said in monotone, "We're all gonna die."
Ignoring Jack's statement, the commander turned his attentions towards the dancer, "London, we're heading towards the Citadel now and should be there by noon. I need you to take these ladies and head to the shopping wards near the top. There's an 'After Dark Fashions' outlet there that I think you all might find useful for this… particular job."
Jack stared daggers into her commander, "You're going to make me go shopping now too?"
John grinned, "Gotta look the part, Jack. And who knows…you might actually like the store. Now everyone get your game faces on and let's make this happen!"
Miranda squeezed her eyes shut and leaned back into her chair, her forehead resting on the warm palm of her hand. All the higher education in the world couldn't have prepared her for this mission. In hours she would take on a task that pushed her boundaries in a whole different way and in a whole new direction:
She would infiltrate the Velvet Vault alongside London and Jack…as an undercover stripper.
[End 25: The Game Plan]
A/N: Still have to rewrite the next chapter since it got swallowed by my laptop, but Imma' workin' on it. In the meantime let's hear what you have to say about the story so far, your comments and reviews are loved and always considered. I strive to improve my story! =)
A quick thanks to zebrahater for all his wonderful suggestions and corrections! I'd be so much worse off without your help!
Finally I'd also like to thank everyone who reads and sticks with this silly little story of mine. If it weren't for you guys I would have probably stopped after chapter one!
I'll see ya next time!